Mo. senator Wright-Jones wants texting ban as secondary offense

A proposed compromise to expand Missouri's texting-while-driving law appears to have fallen flat in a Senate committee.

The Senate Transportation Committee heard testimony Wednesday on a bill by that would prohibit all drivers - not just those 21 and younger - from texting while driving. Because similar bills have failed in the past, Democratic Sen. Robin Wright-Jones of St. Louis proposed making texting a secondary offense - meaning police would have to pull motorists over for something else before they could write a ticket for texting.

But the Missouri State Highway Patrol said it prefer to make texting a primary offense. Several senators also said that if Missouri is to strengthen its texting law, they want police to be able to pull people over for violations.